Joint support for pavements and method of applying the same



Nov. 16, 1965 FHCRQNE 3,217,615

JOINT SUPPORT FOR PAVEMENTS AND METHOD OF APPLYING THE SAME Filed April 9, 1962 /INVENTOR. {1194. BY M ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent 3,217,615 JOINT SUPPORT FOR PAVEMENTS AND METHOD OF APPLYING THE SAME Alfred I Crone, Williainsville, N.Y., assignor to Acme Highway Products Oorporation, Buifaio, NH. Filed Apr. 9, I962, Ser. No. 186,136 2 Claims. (Cl. 94l7) This invention relates to improvements in joint supports in the form of tie bars which are embedded in Wide strips of pavement having grooves formed therein to permit contraction of the pavement.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a joint support including a tie bar mounted on the subgrade of a pavement at the desired height above the subgrade and which can be easily and firmly secured in place on the subgrade.

Another object is to provide a joint support of this type in which the tie bar has eyes or holes in the opposite ends thereof through which spikes may be driven to extend into the subgrade, and to provide means of improved construction for supporting the tie bar at the desired distance above the subgrade while the spikes are being driven.

Another object is to provide gage blocks which can be positioned on the subgrade while the spikes are being driven and which extend upwardly therefrom to the height at which the tie bar is to be supported.

A further object is to provide an improved means of supporting a tie bar in a correct position on spikes above the gage blocks by means of lock nuts or washers which lock themselves on the spike below the tie bar so as to hold the tie bar firmly in correct position on the spike.

Another object is to provide an improved method of securing the tie bars of a joint support in correct relation to the subgrade of a highway.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a joint support including a tie bar mounted in accordance with this invention in correct relation to the subgrade of a pavement.

FIG. 2 is an end view thereof.

FIG. 3 is a section thereof on an enlarged scale on line 3--3, FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of a gage block used in connection with the mounting of the joint support.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary elevation of the tie bar showing the spike prior to being driven into its final position on the subgrade.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a lock nut or washer such as used in connection with my improvements.

I have shown my improvements in FIG. 1 as applied to a highway or other pavement having a subgrade 8. The concrete or road material for the pavement is laid on the subgrade in a wide strip which may, for example, be twice the width of the usual pavement strip. In order to protect the pavement against irregular breaking during contraction of the same, it is customary to provide in the pavement a groove 7 at approximately midway of its edges so that the two parts 9 and 10 of the pavement may separate during contraction, as indicated at 11. It is consequently necessary to provide suitable reinforcing means, such as tie bars or dowels at this portion of the pavement to oppose movement of the same relatively to each other. For this particular purpose I have provided a tie bar 12 which may be of any suitable or desired shape, but which preferably has a middle portion 14 of greater thickness than the ends of the bar. The tie bar tapers toward the opposite ends and at these ends the tie bar is provided with holes or eyes 15. Preferably the tie bars are also provided with laterally or outwardly extending projections 16 which serve to anchor the tie bar in the concrete or other road material.

3,217,615 Patented Nov. 16, 1965 It is of course necessary to hold these tie bars in place above the subgrade in such a manner that they will be approximately midway between the upper and lower faces of the concrete or other road material. It is also necessary to support the tie bars securely in this position so that when the road material is poured on the subgrade and under and over the tie bar that this bar will remain firmly in place.

For this purpose I provide each tie bar with a pair of spikes 20, one arranged at each end of the tie bar and extending through the holes 15 in the ends of the tie bar. It is also necessary to provide means for holding the tie bar on the spikes against dropping downwardly toward the subgrade. In order to accomplish this result in an efiicient and easily manipulated manner, I provide lock nuts or washers 24 of a type which are made of a spring material and grip the spikes after they have been driven through the washers. The washer as shown in FIG. 6 has a series of fins with gripping edges 25 which face the spike. These fins are bent downwardly when the spike is driven through the washer so that the edges of these fins engage the surface of the spike at a downwardly extending angle so that the edges will tend to project or bite into the spike. These lock nuts or washers are readily available on the open market and, as clearly seen in FIGS. 1-3, one of these nuts or washers is below each end of the tie bar so they securely hold the tie bar in its upper position adjacent to the head 21 of the spike when the head of the spike is driven into its final position. The tie bar will then be securely held in place on the spike between the head 21 and the lock nut or washer 24. Other lock nuts or washers formed to grip the spikes may be provided if desired.

One of the features of this invention resides in the positioning of the lock nut or washer on the spike at the correct height above the subgrade, and for this purpose I have provided a gage block 30 which is formed to rest on the subgrade 8 and which is approximately of U- shaped cross section, the slot in the same being open at one side thereof as well as at the opposite ends of the block. The width of the slot is such that the spike can readily pass into and out of the same. The gage block is also provided at the upper end thereof with a face adapted to cooperate with the lock nut or washer to support the same on the upper face of the gage block while the spike 249 is driven through the same. The gage block is made of a height approximately equal to half the proposed thickness of the pavement above the subgrade and it is preferably made of sufficient thickness so that it will not tend to penetrate to any substantial extent into the subgrade when receiving hammer blows at the upper end thereof. One or both ends of the block are provided with bevelled edges 32 adjacent the slot, these edges being provided at opposite ends of the gage block so that this block can be used with either end up. The bevelled surfaces 32 are of sufficient depth so that when the lock nut or washer is deformed by the driving of the spike downwardly through the same, the spike gripping fins are bent downwardly into the bevelled recess.

In the use of the gage block, it is initially positioned on the subgrade with the inner edge of the slot 31 thereof in alinement with a hole in the tie bar. The lock nut or washer 24- is then positioned at the upper end of the gage block and a spike is inserted through a hole in the tie bar and forced downwardly to spread or bend outwardly the edges 25 of the lock nut or washer. The spikes Zll are then driven downwardly through the slot of the gage block and into the subgrade until the head 21 of the spike bears against the upper edge of the tie bar. During the driving of the spike downwardly through the gage block and suhgrade, the lock nut or washer 24 will remain at the upper face of the gage block and below the tie bar, as shown in FIG. 3. The gage block can then be removed in a direction to pass the spike 213 through the open end of the slot of the block, whereupon the upon the spike will support the tie bar as shown at the left end of FIG. 1 and in FIG. 2. The operation is then repeated at the other end of the tie bar, or if desired, two gage blocks may be employed and the spikes driven downwardly at the same time. When the blocks are removed the tie bar will be securely held in the desired position by the spikes and the lock nuts or washers at the right elevation above the subgrade and will be firmly held in such position during the pouring of the concrete or other road material.

The spikes serve the two-fold purpose of supporting the tie bar at the correct elevation above the subgrade and also form additional anchoring means for holding the tie bars against movement in the direction of their length in the concrete during expansion or contraction of the pavement. Also the gage blocks serve two functions in that they hold the lock nuts or washers in correct positions below the tie bar and enable the spikes to pass through the lock nuts or washers during the driving of the spikes into the subgrade. The gage blocks also determine the height at which the tie bars are supported above the subgrade.

The groove 7 is formed in the pavement above the middle portions of the tie bars to establish a vertical plane of weakness, so that when the pavement contracts, the split 11 will be formed in a location where the pavement is reinforced by the tie bars, to prevent damage to the pavement. It will of course be understood that the groove 7 is filled with an elastic groove filler which prevents water and other foreign matter from entering the groove or the opening or split 11 between the two parts of the pavement.

It will be understood that various changes in the details, materials and arrangements of parts which have been herein described and illustrated in order to explain the nature of the invention may be made by those skilled in the art within the principle and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Means for securing a tie bar having eyes at opposite ends at a predetermined distance above the subgrade of a pavement, said means including a pair of spikes passing through said eyes, lock washers arranged below said eyes through which said spikes pass and which grip said spikes, a removable gage block having a longitudinally extending open sided slot through which said spike also passes having its upper end recessed and receiving a lock washer with said spike driven through the same, said gage block when removed leaving said tie bar supported on said spike by said washer at a distance above the subgrade determined by the length of said removable gage block.

2. A method of securing a tie bar with eyes at opposite ends thereof in the desired position above the subgrade of a pavement, said method comprising placing upon the subgrade gage blocks with open-sided slots therein, positioning a gripping washer on the upper end of each gage block, alining the eyes of the tie bar with the washers and the slotted gage blocks, then inserting spikes through said eyes, said washers and the slots in said gage blocks and into the subgrade, and then removing said gage blocks when said spikes have been driven down into the sub-grade to the extent permitted by said gage blocks, thus leaving said tie bars held above the subgrade by said washers at a distance equal approximately to the length of said gage blocks.

References tilted by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,625,838 4/ 1927 White 94-8 1,631,609 6/1927 White 948 1,727,952 9/1929 White 948 1,807,364 5/1931 White 948 1,945,784 2/1934 Myer 948 2,040,367 5/1936 Eichelman et al 9418 X 2,046,303 6/1936 Briody 948 2,141,986 12/1938 Johnson 9418 2,179,911 11/1939 Wilmoth 9418 2,280,455 4/ 1942 Seuberling 9418 2,347,126 4/1944 Rohrer 50508 2,350,315 5/1944 Kral 85-36 2,365,550 12/1944 Heltzel 94-18 2,476,243 7/ 1949 Heltzel 94-8 2,822,712 2/ 1958 Garman 85-36 JACOB L. NACKENOFF, Primary Examiner. 

1. MEANS FOR SECURING A TIE BAR HAVING EYES AT OPPOSITE ENDS AT A PREDETERMINED DISTANCE ABOVE THE SUBGRADE OF A PAVEMENT, SAID MEANS INCLUDING A PAIR OF SPIKES PASSING THROUGH SAID EYES, LOCK WASHERS ARRANGED BELOW SAID EYES THROUGH WHICH SAID SPIKES PASS AND WHICH GRIP SAID SPIKES, A REMOVABLE GAGE BLOCK HAVING A LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING OPEN SIDED SLOT THROUGH WHICH SAID SPIKE ALSO PASSES HAVING ITS UPPER END RECESSED AND RECEIVING A LOCK WASHER WITH SAID SPIKE DRIVEN THROUGH THE SAME, SAID GAGE BLOCK WHEN REMOVED LEAVING SAID TIE BAR SUPPORTED ON SAID SPIKE BY SAID WASHER AT A DISTANCE ABOVE THE SUBGRADE DETERMINED BY THE LENGTH OF SAID REMOVABLE GAGE BLOCK. 